Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council

Westminster London Borough Council
Westminster City Council ; Westminster London Borough Council
Type
Type	London borough council of the City of Westminster
Leadership
Leader of the Council	Cllr Rachael Robathan, Conservative ; since 22 January 2020
Lord Mayor	Cllr Jonathan Glanz, Conservative ; since May 2020
Chief executive	Stuart Love ; since 17 January 2018
Structure
Seats	60 councillors
Political groups	Majority Party (41) Conservative (41); Opposition (19) Labour (19);
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	3 May 2018
Next election	May 2022
Meeting place
	Westminster City Hall
Website
	www.westminster.gov.uk

Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 41 Conservative Party members and 19 Labour Party members.^[1] The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and Westminster Borough Council.

History[]

A map showing the wards of Westminster since 2002

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Westminster area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the City of Westminster on 1 April 1965. Westminster City Council replaced Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and the Westminster City Council which had responsibility for the earlier, smaller City of Westminster. All three had been created in 1900, with Paddington and St Marylebone replacing the parish vestries incorporated by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. Westminster itself has a more convoluted history and the metropolitan borough council established in 1900 had replaced the Vestry of the Parish of St George Hanover Square, the Vestry of the Parish of St Martin in the Fields, the Strand District Board of Works, the Westminster District Board of Works and the Vestry of the Parish of Westminster St James.^[2]

It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Westminster as a London local authority would share power with the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Westminster City Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Westminster became an education authority in 1990. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.^[3]

Powers and functions[]

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.^[4] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.^[5]

Buildings[]

The Council is usually based at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street in Victoria. The City Hall was designed by Burnet Tait & Partners on a speculative basis, and completed in 1966.^[6]

Summary results of elections[]

	Overall control	Conservative	Labour	Residents
2018	Conservative	41	19	-
2014	Conservative	44	16	-
2010	Conservative	48	12	-
2006	Conservative	48	12	-
2002	Conservative	48	12	-
1998	Conservative	47	13	-
1994	Conservative	45	15	-
1990	Conservative	45	15	-
1986	Conservative	32	27	1
1982	Conservative	43	16	1
1978	Conservative	39	19	2
1974	Conservative	37	23	-
1971	Conservative	37	23	-
1968	Conservative	55	5	-
1964	Conservative	41	19	-

Leaders[]

1964–1965 David Cobbold
1965–1969 Gordon Pirie
1969–1972 A.C. Barrett
1972–1976 Hugh (Guy) Cubitt
1976–1983 David Cobbold
1983–1991 Dame Shirley Porter, Lady Porter
1991–1993 David Weeks
1993–1995 Miles Young
1995–2000 Melvyn Caplan
2000–2008 Sir Simon Milton
2008–2012 Colin Barrow
2012–2017 Philippa Roe, Baroness Couttie
2017–2020 Nickie Aiken MP
2020–present Rachael Robathan ^[7]

Lord Mayors of Westminster[]

Year	Name	Notes
1965	Sir Charles Norton	2nd term. First Lord Mayor.
1966	Anthony L. Burton
1966	Arthur C. Barrett
1967	Christopher Anthony Prendergast
1968	Leonard Pearl
1970	Brian Fitzgerald-Moore	2nd term
1971	John Wells
1972	John E. Guest
1973	David Neville Cobbold	2nd term
1974	Group Captain Gordon Pirie	2nd term
1975	Councillor Roger M. Dawe
1976	Jack Gillett
1977	Hugh Cubitt
1978	Wing Commander William Henry Kearney
1979	Reginald Forrester
1980	Donald du Parc Braham
1981	G. I. Harley
1982	Thomas Whipham
1983	Phoebette Sitwell
1984	John Bull
1985	Roger Bramble
1986	Mrs Terence Mallinson
1987	Kevin Gardner
1988	Elizabeth Flach
1989	Simon Mabey
1990	Dr David Avery
1991	Dame Shirley Porter
1992	Dr Cyril Nemeth
1993	Jenny Bianco
1994	Angela Hooper
1995	Alan Bradley
1996	Robert Davis
1997	Ronald Raymond-Cox
1998	David Harvey
1999	Alex Segal
2000	Michael Brahams
2001	Harvey Marshall
2002	Frances Blois
2003	Jan Prendergast
2004	Catherine Longworth
2005	Tim Joiner
2006	Alexander Nicoll
2007	Carolyn Keen
2008	Louise Hyams
2009	Duncan Sandys
2010	Judith Warner
2011	Susie Burbridge
2012	Angela Harvey
2013	Sarah Richardson
2014	Audrey Lewis
2015	Lady Flight
2016	Steve Summers
2017	Ian Adams
2018	Lindsey Hall
2019	Ruth Bush	First Lord Mayor elected from the minority party
2020	Jonathan Glanz^[8]

References[]

^ Your Councillors at westminster.gov.uk
^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
^ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
^ "Westminster City Hall". Open House London. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
^ "New Leader of Westminster City Council elected". City of Westminster. 22 January 2020.
^ "City of Westminster elects new Lord Mayor". Westminster City Council. 21 May 2020.

[1] Your Councillors at westminster.gov.uk

[2] Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.

[3] Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.

[4] "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.

[5] "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

[6] "Westminster City Hall". Open House London. Retrieved 26 April 2020.

[7] "New Leader of Westminster City Council elected". City of Westminster. 22 January 2020.

[8] "City of Westminster elects new Lord Mayor". Westminster City Council. 21 May 2020.

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